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Original poster

Feeling so upset from medical advice, slightly graphic

207 replies

XForL · 25/07/2021 16:45

I had a telephone consultation with a GP on Thursday because I have anal fissures that have returned but the Lactulose isn't working and I have so much impactation I just can't shift now for days. It's like the stuff itself is WIDER than my own bottom Blush

It was a locum I spoke to

I explained that I was concerned because I simply couldn't go, but I have no urge to really push? It's absolutely disgusting, I'm sorry, but I have to push on the bottom of my vaginal wall to encourage anything out. But even that isn't working at the moment, and whatever is there is bulging into my vagina?!

He said constipation is common in pregnancy. When I said that I couldn't 'go' unaided with my fingers pushing down, he said he'd never heard of that before but to not do it! He gave me a lecture about it causing a UTI and that can be harmful for babies (I'm on iron tablets and a whole host of meds for extreme sickness, that coupled with not a great diet due to sickness means I'm very constipated anyway).

He said his advice was to up the dose of Lactulose and that should work. He said he doubts I'd need to call back as that should fix it

But I've done as he's said. And it's now Sunday and I feel like there's a head crowning. I'm sorry to be graphic again but whatever's there is far far larger than my bottom hole and I can't can't can't get it out. It feels horrendous. Plus every time I try my fissures are bleeding a lot and so sore

What should I do? Is he right or was he insensitive? My GP surgery is usually fantastic by the way!

OP posts:
WingingItSince1973 · 25/07/2021 23:12

@WildRunner

Complete aside, but I am utterly horrified that women are supposed to put up with things like this as a "side effect" of pregnancy and childbirth. I've been through neither but I can still have a shred of empathy - why the hell can't the medical profession?
I've been shocked reading what some of the ladies on here have had to do to unblock themselves!!! I've been constipated lots of times when you feel like you're giving birth to a giant poo but some of these poor women have been through awful awful things. Hugs to OP. Hope you can be more comfortable now and don't have to deal with this any time soon!
BlackeyedSusan · 25/07/2021 23:24
Flowers
Iggly · 25/07/2021 23:28

Yes absolutely bin the iron tablets and try spatone

I was incredibly anemic during pregnant and iron tablets made me so bunged up. So, on the advice of my lovely midwife, I stopped them and used spatone. It did a much better job of upping my iron levels quickly and didn’t bung me up.

Interested in this thread?

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General health
aliloandabanana · 25/07/2021 23:44

Please keep pushing (no pun intended) for a solution to this and medical help. Take movicol if possible during pregnancy or lactulose daily - you have to prevent constipation. Drink lots of water and gradually introduce more fibre (even if you think your diet's not too bad). You must drink the water for the drugs and the fibre to work. I got over a severe fissure with Botox and by doing the above.

LuluJakey1 · 25/07/2021 23:45

I can totally relate. I had acute pancreatitis and my bowel stopped working in hospital- I had not pooed for 7 days. I was on lots of pain medication which didn't help. Laxatives had no effect. Then they tried suppositries which didn't work, them an enema. I managed to get to the bathroom- which had a loo, washbasin and shower.

Despite the enema it was stuck because it was so huge. It took about 20 minutes of pushing, breaking it up with my fingers to get it out. It was huge and like a large mango. I was shaking, crying and soaked in sweat and the pain was awful. I was light-headed and could not stand in the shower at first but pulled myself together after a while and managed a hot soapy shower and to get back to bed. I had an anal fissure and piles because of it which occasionally cause me issues if I am not very careful about making sure I poo regularly.
Tips from bowel surgeon:
Drink lots of water every day
Eat bananas and prunes at breakfast
Eat fruit and veg every meal
Movicol sachets quickly
Use suppositories to soften it as soon as it starts

I have prescription ointment for if my piles or fissure start up and it is fantastic- called Scheriproct - and as well as soothing the inflammation it also makes everything easier.

I also keep these fruit and fibre squares in the house that you can buy at Holland and Barrett- I take one at bedtime if I think I might have be constipated. They work overnight.

Hope you are ok. It sounds horrific.

Woahbodyforrrrm · 26/07/2021 00:05

@XForL I suffered similar after having surgery and being on morphine, followed by codeine and ondansetron (amongst other things). I was asked before being discharged whether I'd have a bowel movement and I lied and said yes as I was desperate to get home for my little boys birthday. That was a huge mistake. I ended up in a terrible state. I'll never forget it.

After days of trying everything I could get my hands on, my DH got me a McDonalds coffee. He said every-time he has one it runs through him. Sure enough hours later I managed to pass the worst of it.

Some months later, my friend had an op and the exact same issue as me, I recommended the McDonalds coffee and low and behold, it did the job for her too.

I really hope you manage to sort this soon! It's so so awful!

Nat6999 · 26/07/2021 00:52

Strong hot coffee with lots of sugar to get things moving, drink it as hot as you can & once it starts moving bananas with brown sugar to keep it moving. Once you are cleared out have something like V8 juice or gazpacho every day to keep it soft & stop it happening again. I was like that when I was pregnant but when my beetroot cravings started I never had a problem again.

Susannahmoody · 26/07/2021 02:55
Flowers
Rainbows89 · 26/07/2021 03:16

You poor thing OP. Hope you can get it sorted and feel better really soon.

Original poster
XForL · 26/07/2021 06:17

I am stitched up Smile

They wanted make sure I could pass urine properly so wanted a catheter, but I declined

Back home for about 1am

OP posts:
SlimBoyFat · 26/07/2021 06:43

Omg you poor thing.

Have you got a management plan for it going forward?

OutOfTrousers · 26/07/2021 06:44

Glad to hear you've been treated. Take a bit more care of yourself! Light exercise can also help keep things moving so make sure you take some time for you.

GuckGuckDoose · 26/07/2021 07:13

You poor thing!

Totally agree with PP that you need a plan to avoid this happening again. And a different bloody GP next time, and I say this as someone with a vested interest in the profession…..!! He sounds fairly ignorant of the issues at hand and completely incorrect on almost every count.

Also, please do not listen to the PP suggesting that this is a rectocoele - a very, very basic glance at pelvic anatomy would demonstrate that it’s more than possible to feel a loaded rectum through a normal posterior vaginal wall. You also do not need to have a prolapse to need to splint sometimes.

Ondansetron is a total wonder drug, but also a bastard for this, and coupled with your fissures it’s a recipe for potential disaster as you’ve sadly discovered.

You need a proper programme of effective laxatives, perhaps a stool softener combined with a stimulant laxative, depending on your history, and may well need to use suppositories more regularly. If you are on ondansetron, have you already seen an obstetrician? If so, it may well be worth contacting the hospital to flag up your issues and get a plan in place.

Best of luck.

Notavegan · 26/07/2021 07:14

My daughter has to take a lot of laxatives and dulcosoft is a life saver. Its like movicol but a tasteless liquid.
Had your iron levels afford some weeks off to recover? Otherwise maybe a transfusion instead?

picklemewalnuts · 26/07/2021 08:24

I'm glad you are sorted now. Next step- make sure it doesn't happen again.

Eat and drink the stuff people have recommended on here, and use a glycerin suppository as soon as you notice you've missed a day!

DinosaurDiana · 26/07/2021 08:30

I’m on Ferrous Fumarate and they don’t make me constipated. In fact it was quite the opposite when I was on 3 a day !
Perhaps see if you can take that instead.

Strikethrough · 26/07/2021 08:42

As the GP surgery is usually fantastic and this was locum I would ring up (when you're feeling up to it) and ask to speak with the practice manager. I wouldn't go straight to making a complaint, I would approach it more in the direction of "I usually have such excellent care from your practice but this time it was severely lacking and I wanted to make you aware."

Firstly, if the locum had NEVER heard of a woman needing to vaginally splint in order to poo then he cannot have been paying proper attention in medical school and he needs some more training immediately (my husband is a non-GP, non-gastro, non-obstetrics doctor and he knows women need to do it sometimes even though it's completely outside the sphere of his clinical practice!).

Secondly, make clear to them that the locum advised you ONLY to take more lactulose (no suggestion of Movicol, no advice on suppositories or knees up positioning or anything else) and that you ended up anally tearing and requiring stitches in A&E! The locum's clinical advice here was not adequate. (I'm assuming he didn't grasp the severity of what you were trying to tell him but that's not your fault, especially as you asked for follow up and were denied.)

Thank goodness you had Mumsnet to a) make you feel normal and b) give you some actual helpful advice.

peridito · 26/07/2021 08:56

good post Strikethrough .I wanted to say the same but wouldn't have said it so well !

Definitely needs flagging up to avoid more inadequate advice .

Hope you're feeling better OP and not too sore .I can't imagine .

LunchBoxPolice · 26/07/2021 09:34

Bless you. I had HG last year and the combination of that with Ondansetron and Cyclizine left me very constipated. I ended up using glycerine suppositories and a home enema from Amazon. Plus tonnes of movicol.
I hope you’re feeling a bit better and able to cut down on the medication at some point.

LunchBoxPolice · 26/07/2021 09:34

And sorry to hear you’ve experienced loss Flowers

Lemonlemon88 · 26/07/2021 09:42

I really feel for you. I had terrible anal fissures with my first baby and would often struggle to pass very wide stools. Very stressful toilet bowls full of blood.

mum23kidz · 26/07/2021 10:17

Prune juice moved it for me. Could you keep us posted? I hope you are ok.

Arsebucket · 26/07/2021 10:57

Please start on something like movicol today though, can you imagine getting constipated like that again with stictches?

Ondansetron will always make you badly constipated, even after a couple of doses.

And lactulose will never cut it for that drug.

MauisLeftNipple · 26/07/2021 11:21

My ondansetron poo babies were much harder and stressful to birth than my actual babies. I hope you manage to make a good bowel management plan going forward and the rest of your pregnancy goes well Flowers

LuluJakey1 · 26/07/2021 11:54

@XForL

I am stitched up Smile

They wanted make sure I could pass urine properly so wanted a catheter, but I declined

Back home for about 1am

Awful. You will need to be very very careful at the minute to make sure you don't get constipated again.

I hope you are ok. It sounds just awful.